Latch-retracting attachment for window-operating devices



Nov. 26, 1929.

s. w. NICHOLSON 1,737,119

LATCH RETRACTING ATTACHMENT FOR WINDOW OPERATING DEVICES Filed Feb. 16,1928 2 Sheets-Shem l|lllllllllllIlllllllllllllllllllllllllIIIIIIIFIIIIIIIFIIIII|I|I|I|IIIII|III|IIIIlIIllIll wllllllqllllnu Nov. 26, 1929. s. w. NICHOLSON 1,737,119

LATCH RETRACTING ATTACHMENT FOR WINDOW OPERATING DEVICES Filed Feb. 16,1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 26, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT? Pr cea STANLEY W, NIGHOLSON', TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE LOGLIF COMPANY,OF

TQLEDQ, OHIO LATCH-BETRAOTING ATTACHMENT FOR WINDOW-OPERATING DEVICESApplication filed February 16, 1928. Serial No. 254,823.

The invention relates to a device for retracting the bolt of a door lockto be applied as an attachment to any of the standard forms of windowoperating devices for automobiles, the attachment being so coordinatedwith the rotary shaft of the windowoperating devices as to admit of thelatching bolt being withdrawn, when desired, by the same handle whichactuates the window operating device.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig.1 is a front elevation of an automobile door frame provided with astandard window, actuating device, which latter is equipped with thebolt retracting attachment.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section.

Fig. 3 is a front sectional elevation of the attachment and theactuating shaft of the window operating device, the parts of theattachment being in inoperative relation.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the parts in proper relation to retractthe bolt.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the attach- Inent showing the variouselements 1n perspective.

F 6 is a sectional side elevation of the pawl carrying element.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, 1 lndlcates the frame of an automobile door,provided with the usual sliding glass or window element 2 adapted to beraised and lowered 1n slots formed in the stiles of the door frame, bymeans of any of the standard operating devices involving gearingactuated by a rotary crank or handle, the operating mechanism beingmounted upon a cross panel 3 secured to the door stiles; The particularform of window operating mechanism, illustrated comprises a rotary shaft7 journaled in a late 8 secured to cross panel 3, said shaft liavingmounted thereon a pinion 6 which meshes with a segmental gear 9,journaled in a bearing formed on plate 8 and provided with a rigidlyattached lever arm 10, which engages a guide member 5 secured to achannel iron 4, which latter engages thelower edge of the glass orwindow element 2, the pintle 12 of the segmental gear 9 being providedwith the usual clock spring 11, which serves as a counterbalance for theweight of the glass.and assists in the raising or closing movement ofthe latter. The inner end of the shaft 7 is provided with a crank handle13, which is rotated in one direction to raise the window element and inthe opposite direction to lower the same, said shaft prefertably beingsubstantially square in cross secion.

Loosely mounted on theshaft 7- is a casing comprising an outer cup-likemember 20 having an enlarged central opening 20 and having secured tothe outer surface of its peripheral rim a bracket 21 carrying a pin 22,the cooperating casing member comprising a cup-like member 30 having aeripheral rim fitting within the rimof; t e cup member 20, said rimbeihg provided-with corrugations 31, which constitut'eFratchet teeth,and to the outer surface of --which the rim of member 30 may be securedbycrimp ing the latter into locking engagement. The central portionofthe member 30 is formed with a concave depression 32 having a roundopening 33 in the center thereof through which the squared shaft 7passes freely.

Within the casing is a generally diskshaped element 34 having anenlarged central opening 37 and an arcuate recess 35 in its peripheraledge, the opposite faces of the disk having shallow lozenge-shapeddepressions 36, 36' therein.

Pivotally mounted in the central opening 37 in the plate or disk 34:: isa pawl carrier, which is capable of a slight rotary movement relative tothe plate 34, as will be explained hereinafter, said pawl carrier,comprising an arm-37 having a concave boss 38 provided with a generallysquared central opening 39, whichfits over the drive shaft 7 of thewindow operating device, the hollow boss fitting the depression 32 inthe center of the casing member 30, when the parts are assembled. Asimilar arm 37 is provided with a similar shaped boss 38 having asquared central opening 39, the boss 38 telescoping with or nesting inthe boss 38, so that the openings 39, 39 are in registry and are bothengaged by the shaft/7. Pivoted between the upper ends of the arms 37and 37 by a stud 40 is Connected to the pin 22 carried by the casingmember is a link or bar 24, which is connected by a pivot pin 26 to theinner .1 end of the latching bolt of the automobile door lock, whichbolt, as is usual in devices of r 1 7 this kind, is normally held inlatching position by a spring.

g The two members of the casing and the two supporting cu ped arms ofthe pawl carrier are prefera 1y made of sheet metal stampings, whichinsures sufiiciently accurate engaging fits between the respective partswithout requiring said parts to be milled or otherwise expensivelyfinished.

When the parts of the attachment are assembled, the casing members 20and 30 are in telescopin e agement, and areloc-ked together pre erab yby crimping the flange of member 20 into the corrugations of-mem ber 30,either in whole or in part. jj--'l he squaredv shaft, 7 of the windowoperating mechanism engagingthe squared holes 3.9

and 39 in the pawl carrierwill rotate said pawlcarrier'and the plateordisk 34, when said shaft 7 is ,actuatedjbyi the ,crank handle 13-,"the. rotary motion.gbeingjcomr frictional engagement of. the pawlcarrying elements therewith, as .wellfas 'the engage- IA steady rotarymovement of the handle 13, if gradually applied, will cause acorresponding movement of thepawl carrier, the pawl and the disk 34, asthe d sk 34, which has'.considerable weight and inertia,

will take upithe' rotary movementof. the shaft 7 whengradually-"applied, but, if the -..-initial movement of said shaft beaccelerated,

' the inertia of the disk 34 will causethe latter to lag behind in thisrotary movement, so

[that the pawl carrier -will move relatively to. the disk and cause thepawl to slide in the arcuate recess 35, so that the end of the pawl,

which projects in the direction of-movement of the carrier, will beforced into engagement with one of the corrugations or teeth on the rimof the inner casing'membe'r 30, thereby causing the casing to rotatewith the pawl carrier, the disk '34 and the shaft','(, thereby exertinga pull on the link 24 sufficient to retract the latch bolt 25 of thelook. It will be noted that the pin 22 carried by the outer casingmember is so disposed that a partial rotation of the casing in eitherdirection will retract the bolt 25. After the bolt 25 has beenretracted, and the handle released, the spring in the lock willimmediately return the boltlto its normal projected position,

thereby rotating the casing in the opposite direction to, its initial ornormal position, and restore the pawl to a neutral posltion.

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that the attachment iscapable of ready application to a standard window operating mechanismhavin ,a rotary shaft with which'the pawl carrler of the attachment maybe engaged to partake of any rotar movement of the shaftand-that, if thesha be rotated at a steady and uniform rate, the only efi'ect'of suchrotation will be to raise or lower thewindow element as the case may be,but, if the shaft be'given' an accelerated initial movement, the pawlcarrier will participate in theaccelerated movement and therefore movefaster than. the weighted disk 34 and one end of the'pawl will be throwninto engagement-with the ratchet teeth 31 on the casing,- causing thelatter toparticipate in the rotary be understoodthat there is a certainlost motion between the shaft 7, pinion 6, and gear 9, of the windowoperating device, and that,

f-SlIlCG it is' ne'cessary to move the bar 24 only a; small-fraction; ofan inch to unlatch the and eifect an operation of the latch withoutverticalmoikment ofthe window.

. ,v whatlclaim is: Y ment of the pawl 41 1with;the arcuatefslot f 35 insaid dis '1. 1. A door-latch retracting attachment for a windowoperating device, comprising a rotary casing connected to the latch.means actuated by a sudden acceleration of the prime mover of the windowoperating means for operatively connecting the casing with saidoperating. means to actuate the latch.

' k 2'. A door latch retracting attachment for on f 1 door, suchlostmotion is suflicient to permit the initial i accelerated-rotation of theshaft municated toQthe "d sk by seas n of the a' window operating devicewhich device in-' cludes a rotary shaft, comprising. a casing loose onsaid shaft andconnected to the latch, and means actuated by a suddenacceleration of said rotary shaft for operatively connecting thecasingto said shaft to actuate the latch.

3. A door latch retracting attachment for a window operating devicewhich device includes a rotary shaft, [comprising a casing loose on saidshaft and connected to the latch, a ratchet on the casing. a pawlcarried by said shaftfor rotation therewith, and means looselysurrounding the shaft normally holding the pawl out of engagementwith'the ratchet and effective to engage the pawl with the ratchet upona sudden acceleration of the shaft.

/ 4. A. door latch retracting attachment for a window operating devicewhich device includes a rotary shaft, comprising a casing loose on saidshaft and connected to the latch, a ratchet on the casing, a carrier onsaid shaft and rotatable therewith, a pawl pivoted to said carrier, anda disk loosely surrounding the shaft having a peripheral notch engagedby the pawl; whereby a sudden acceleration of the shaft will cause thepawl to slide in said notch and engage the ratchet and impart rotarymotion to the casing.

5. A door latch retracting attachment for a window operatingdevice whichdevice in- Jcludes a rotary shaft, comprising a casing including anouter cup and an inner cup having a ratchet rim locked to the rim of theouter cup, both cups loosely surrounding the rotary shaft, a linkconnection between the casing and thelatch, a disk within the casingrotatable with respect to said shaft and having an arcuate notch in itsperipheral edge, a pawl carrier mounted on said shaft for rotationtherewith, and an arc-shaped pawl pivoted to said carrier and engagingthe notch in said disk and normally held out of engagement with theratchet rim of the inner cup and slidable in said notch to engage theratchet upon a sudden acceleration of the shaft.

6. A door latch retracting attachment for a window operating devicewhich device'includes a rotary shaft, comprising a casing including anouter cup and an inner cup having a ratchet rim locked to the rim of theouter cu both cups loosely surrounding the rotary s aft, a linkconnection between the casing and the latch, a disk within the casingrotatable with respect to said shaft and having an arcuate notch in itsperipheral edge, a pawl carrier mounted on said shaft for rotationtherewith, and a double ended arc-shaped pawl pivoted to said carrierand engaging the notch in said disk and normally held out of engagementwith the ratchet rim of the inner cup and slidable in said notch toengage the ratchet upon a sudden acceleration of the shaft.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

STANLEY W. NICHOLSON.

